Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Massage Therapists
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Miami Dade College, Broward College, Heritage, and Palm Beach State College.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Female: For schools particularly welcoming to female students, consider Medvance Institute-West Palm, Medvance Institute-Fort Lauderdale, and Angley.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Miami Dade College, Broward College, Palm Beach State College, and FSC Jacksonville.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Medvance Institute-Fort Lauderdale, Medvance Institute-West Palm, Daytona State College, and FSC Jacksonville.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Pensacola Junior College, FSC Jacksonville, Daytona State College, and Heritage.
Excellence
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Angley.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Everest University • Pompano Beach, FL
Studying Massage Therapy (completion in 2011)
• 5/1/2011
"So far I am happy with Everest, but since I am not finished, I still don't know if I am very satisfied or if my experience will get sour with time. So far so good, though!"
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | So far it has been good for me and I would recommend Everest to other people interested in massage therapy, but only if they can afford it. The program is very pricy. They offer financial aid but not everyone qualifies, and I know not everyone wants to be in debt because of student loans. So if the person has the money, I would recommend it without hesitation. |
| Program Reputation | 6 | I have heard wonderful things about this school and it came highly recommended by friends who are also in the massage therapy program. My school's reputation as far as teachers go is not so good. I do feel like our instructors could be better. |
| Program Quality | 9 | The school has a good program that offers hands on experience in different techniques. This includes non-traditional therapy, which is by far my favorite discipline. |
| Instruction | 10 | The instructors have been helpful with the theory. I find most is learned through hands-on experience and trial and error. The curriculum is pretty well-rounded given how quick the program is. Once I am done with the program, I am sure I will be well prepared to work in the industry. |
| How Difficult | 8 | For me it has been difficult because I never was too interested biology and other sciences. However, in the massage therapy curriculum, there is a lot of learning about the human body. That part has been my biggest challenge so far. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Train for this field requires on hands-on experience and Everest offers just that. Sure, we do a lot book learning for the theoretical aspects and to learn about the human body, but its all mostly driven by hands-on experience. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | I chose this school because of its flexibility and because they offer online programs. It works for me because I can keep a full-time job while I go to school and not get overwhelmed by my schedule. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | I can only rate the classroom space because I don't really depend on after school help to get through my courses. The classrooms are traditional with enough space to accommodate all of us without feeling cramped. |
| Social Life | 5 | I consider myself to be a loner so I can't really rate this aspect. I have made wonderful friends while at Everest but I spend most of my time working, studying, and practicing massage techniques with family and friends. I don't have much time for parties or any other type of school related activity outside of my classes and practice. |
| Placement Services | 10 | Job placement is amazing. The school promises job placement upon completion and so far the people I know who went there had jobs within months of completing the program. The career services staff is very friendly and is willing to help us find work. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I chose average because I don't really have a good answer for this question. I don't have enough participation to rate the alumni network and support aspect of my school. |
Cortiva • Tampa, FL
Studying Massage Therapy (completion in 2010)
• 5/2/2011
"It was good experience for me overall. I learned what I wanted at the pace I wanted."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Since I was recommended to this school and I liked it, I will do the same for anyone else who's interested. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | I heard about it from friends. A lot of people in my area have mentioned it to me. |
| Program Quality | 5 | it was decent. I expected to learn more about the equipment used on the job, though. |
| Instruction | 6 | The instructors were nice and the material was taught at a good pace. |
| How Difficult | 7 | I noticed I read quite a bit. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Message therapy is a very hands on career in general. We had hands on message sessions once a week. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | It was pretty flexible, in my opinion. The online assignment submission made it more flexible for me. |
| Academic Facilities | 6 | The school had a library. I used it a few times, but not as much as I wanted too. |
| Social Life | 4 | I made a few social acquaintances. But I was too focused on my studies to keep in touch. |
| Placement Services | 4 | I have not received any help from these services since I graduated, but I hear you have to inquire. |
| Alumni Network | 6 | It was good, very supportive. The inline feature also worked well. |
Keiser University • Daytona Beach, FL
Studying My Major Was Medical Assisting With Massage Therapy And Phlebotomy As Minors. (completion in 2010)
• 5/2/2011
"I am very satisfied with my schooling."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I have already recommended Keiser to many people I know wanting to further their education. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | Keiser University is pretty reputable in the state of Florida. They have several campuses throughout the state. |
| Program Quality | 10 | I loved the hands on training and the 400 hour externship I had to complete, mainly because it gave me experience in the medical office before I looked for a job. |
| Instruction | 10 | I can not say anything bad about Keiser. |
| How Difficult | 9 | Some classes were harder than others, but I had excellent professors who always took time to explain things so we could understand them. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Every textbook came with a DVD that helped with the learning process. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | Many classes were available online. This was a big help considering I'm a working mom. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | Our labs were set up just like medical offices, so we had plenty of hands on experience. |
| Social Life | 10 | I have made many life long friends with both fellow students and professors. |
| Placement Services | 10 | They were able to get me hired in the same office in which I did my externship. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I have not attended any alumni meetings, but I get invitations quarterly. |
Everglades University • Sarasota, FL
Studying Alternative Medicine (completion in 2005)
• 7/6/2011
"I loved both schools. I learned a lot from both. It helped me find the next stage in my life."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I tell people about both schools on a regular basis. I think attending both schools made me a better massage therapist, and it made me want to learn more about medicine maybe become a real doctor (acupuncture). |
| Program Reputation | 10 | Sarasota School of Massage has one of the best reputations in the area. I was the first to graduate from the Alternative Medicine class in my campus in 2005, so there isn't much of a reputation built up for that particular program yet. |
| Program Quality | 10 | Sarasota School of massage was thorough in techniques but not in business skills, although I heard this has improved since I graduated. The Alternative Medicine program was mainly overviews of different medicine systems, and it was a good background program. |
| Instruction | 9 | All of my instructors were knowledgeable. I did have instructors in massage school that said I wouldn't be any good because I didn't have super-deep neuromuscular type pressure. |
| How Difficult | 2 | Massage school and the bachelor's was a breeze. It wasn't until I enrolled in a master's program that I actually had to work at learning. Now it's kicking my butt a little bit and I'm not top in my class anymore. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Sarasota School of Massage was very hands on. The university had a smaller hands on component. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | They both did very well accommodating working adults. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | The university had a nice library, but counseling was a little lacking. They built the actual campus after I left. |
| Social Life | 9 | Classmates were very supportive. |
| Placement Services | 2 | No help finding jobs from the university, although the massage school always posted jobs on the board. |
| Alumni Network | 2 | I don't stay in touch with any of my massage classmates, and the university doesn't really offer anything at this time. |
Educating Hands • Miami, FL
Studying Massage Therapy (completion in 2010)
• 11/22/2011
"The entire experience was more than I could have expected. I almost hated for it to have ended. I attended another massage school several years before, and this one was far superior."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Most definitely, and I have. I have also recommended people go to the student clinic at the discount, because I trust that; even though it's students giving the massage, they have been taught how to give one that won't be mediocre. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | It is my understanding that my school is one of the highest rated in the US. I rated it a "9" because I hadn't heard of the school before, so that's a matter of marketing. When I have mentioned my school in any massage arena, I've heard nothing but good feedback. |
| Program Quality | 9 | Educating Hands not only provided the education, but created an entire experience of personal growth. As far as teaching massage, I feel the school exposed us to a myriad of modalities available, while still maintaining the necessary experience of a proper massage routine. |
| Instruction | 8 | The teachers were not only knowledgeable, but passionate about their craft and area of expertise. I feel that this passion became contagious with the students and encouraged the learning process. The thoroughness of the subject matter was also impressive to me. |
| How Difficult | 6 | Though the subject matter could be intimidating at times, I feel the teachers did all they could to present things in layman's terms while still teaching the terminology. I feel that not leaving it all up to rote memorization was the key factor for making the learning pretty painless. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The main book used at the school was written by the school's founders and another teacher, so we were doing hands-on by the book a good portion of the term. Other books were used for learning and then reference when being taught hands-on, so I can honestly say it was a 50-50 mix. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | There were shadowing evening classes to the day classes, and both day and night had short and long terms. When classes were missed due to illness or emergencies, they could easily be made up, as shadowing classes were staggered by a week or two. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | The school seemed to have everything available when necessary. An internal bookstore, student clinic and professional clinic made it a pretty complete hub for learning and practicing massage. The teachers were often readily available to help with technique and questions. |
| Social Life | 9 | The spirit of the school was pretty upbeat and positive. Potluck lunches were common, and being downtown allowed us to hang out for lunch, as well as after class. We became like a little family. |
| Placement Services | 3 | Job placement wasn't really offered, though postings of places looking for massage therapists were made available. Also, word of mouth via faculty was pretty common. But except for employment within the school itself, I was not aware of direct job placement assistance. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | Everyone at the school seems passionate about massage and helping the students achieve their greatest potential. We all felt very supported in every way. |
Sarasota Community College • Sarasota, FL
Studying Massage Therapy (completion in 2012)
• 12/5/2011
"I was very satisfied with my school. It was awesome."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would recommend it. I think everyone should go. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | It has a great reputation and I hope it gets even better. I really miss it. |
| Program Quality | 5 | It was a bit hard to grasp, but in the end, I got it. |
| Instruction | 6 | I was very well prepared for my life. I am very happy with my education. |
| How Difficult | 6 | It was a bit difficult to get at first, but now I understand it. It's great. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It was quite hands on and I loved it. It worked out great. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | It was very flexible, which I loved. I was very happy with my schedule. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | The place was great to learn in. It was like an Italian hall. I loved it. |
| Social Life | 7 | It was a great social experience. I made a lot of friends. |
| Placement Services | 7 | I got great job placement. It was awesome to get a job so quickly. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | I don't really speak to anyone from school. They are great, though. |
Keiser University • Melbourne, FL
Studying Massage Therapy (completion in 2007)
• 2/16/2012
"The staff was amazing. I appreciated all they did for me."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would recommend this school to others. In fact, I have. The school was just what I needed to start my career in MT. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | Where I work, many students come from the school. They talk about how the program is improving all the time. |
| Program Quality | 10 | Keiser University is a wonderful school!! They trained the students on all parts of therapy as well as on the information needed to pass the state boards. |
| Instruction | 9 | Instruction on MT started the minute the students walked in the door. They gave the students information on all fields of MT. |
| How Difficult | 8 | The courses were difficult for me because I am not a good student. The state boards were the most difficult. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We massaged a lot. We also went on some community events. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | My program was at night, 3 days a week. We were able to "practice" massage Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | All facilities were open to any student. It was a great resource. |
| Social Life | 7 | My class was able to mingle with the culinary students because we were on the same schedule. |
| Placement Services | 9 | The school's staff helped many students get placed. It was very easy, and I was ready the minute I got to the job. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | Many former students came back to help as mentors. |
Central Florida School Of Health Sciences • Orlando, FL
Studying Massage Therapy (completion in 2001)
• 3/5/2012
"I was as satisfied as I could've been with this school. The school was run down. We had raccoons running through the ceiling during class. The instructors were below average. I can say I didn't get anything from the school to further my career."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | This school is no longer in business. I guess you can see why from my above answers. The owner of the business still runs her massage business out of the building. It is now called Tranquil Moments. |
| Program Reputation | This school is no longer in business. The school closed within a couple of years of me graduating. | |
| Program Quality | 3 | The school was more focused on getting their tuition payments than on the grades of the students. I do not feel the instructors were prepared to teach the courses they taught. |
| Instruction | 2 | As I stated before, the instructors were not prepared to teach us what needed to be taught. A lot of the time we were just sitting waiting for our 4 hour class time to be up. |
| How Difficult | 5 | The work load was average. We didn't have a lot of assignments, though we did have a lot of tests. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We did have a lot of hands on training. We did many hours of clinics. We would massage each other in class and they would have people from the public come in and we would massage them as well. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | The school offered schooling at night. This was beneficial for me since I worked during the day. |
| Academic Facilities | 2 | The school only had a store that sold a few books. The store also sold lotions and oils for students to buy. No computers or anything else to utilize. |
| Social Life | 5 | I did make a few friends at the school, but there were no other activities that this school offered. The only good thing is that I did keep 2 of those friends from that experience. |
| Placement Services | 1 | I did not receive any help with job placement assistance. I do not believe anyone from my school did. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | I do not believe there was any alumni networking or support. This school has since closed. |
Florida Career College • Miami, FL
Studying Massage Therapy (completion in 2005)
• 3/3/2012
"Very good school. I loved my time there."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I do recommend this school. I would go back if I could. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | The school is still growing and the reputation is a good one. |
| Program Quality | 9 | The school really provides hands on training for people with or without experience. I also enjoyed practicing on real life people. I remember that was done during my last month before graduation. |
| Instruction | 8 | I feel that I learned a lot while I was at the Career College. The teachers take their time with the students. |
| How Difficult | 7 | It was hard, but I worked my way through. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The school is very hands on. The books weren't expensive. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | I only had class 3 times a week. They do offer weekend classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | The class rooms were clean. |
| Social Life | 8 | I made many friends. I also made friends with some teachers. |
| Placement Services | 9 | The school helped me get a job. I got hired 2 weeks after graduation. |
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